Menu

Al Hirschfeld

A follow-up to yesterday’s post. Many people contribute to a film, and not all of them are given direct screen credit. Last month, legendary illustrator Al Hirschfeld passed away. His lines graced the pages of books, magazines, and newspapers including the New York Times, and proved an influence to many future artists. Disney’s Eric Goldberg brought Hirschfeld-esque lines to Aladdin’s Genie and the “Rhapsody in Blue” sequence of Fantasia 2000.

“In honor of Al Hirschfeld’s passing last week, here’s a reprint of the full-page ad that Disney took out in VARIETY. The ad features a drawing of the Genie from ALADDIN. Lead animator Eric Goldberg had used Hirschfeld’s flowing calligraphic line style as inspiration for the character’s design.”

Thank you Disney. Despite massive layoffs, horrible cheapquels, and a general disregard for their past culture, it’s nice to know that someone there still gets it.